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The Federal Government Moves To The District Of Columbia

1800

Meeting first in New York City, and then in Philadelphia, officials of the federal government move to the Washington, D.C., in 1800. Congress convenes there in December. When established, the District has a population of only five thousand residents, far fewer than the thirty thousand specified for the size of congressional districts. Many are temporary residents, living in the district only for the few months the Congress is in session and returning to their home states to vote.